Common Resources

Welcome to Common Resources, RFF’s blog, where RFF experts and other professionals examine the economics of environmental and natural resource policies, provide policy-relevant insight and commentary, and unveil new RFF research.

For questions about the blog, contact Pete Nelson, RFF communications director and managing editor of Common Resources, at nelson@rff.org.

The views expressed in RFF blog posts are those of the authors and should not be attributed to Resources for the Future.

Common Resources

Facing severe drought conditions, officials in Cape Town, South Africa, and elsewhere in the region may want to consider the potential impacts of water restrictions on lower-income residents as they seek solutions to the current crisis.

The Trump administration’s executive orders and guidance on regulatory reform seem to place an outsized focus on costs. We joined 94 economists and lawyers to offer constructive suggestions for improving regulatory analysis and implementation.

Current and proposed policies in Texas make it difficult for local governments to set property tax rates that best suit their needs, as well as discourage oil and gas investment during periods of low oil prices, when the economy could use a boost.

California’s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions requires adjustments for political and legal reasons. Design changes to three fundamental aspects are crucial to the success of the market: banking, offsets, and the border adjustment.

Considering Trump’s rollbacks of US climate-related policies, applying the best available science to estimate the social cost of carbon and assess the impact of carbon dioxide emissions will require significant effort from the broader research community.

The Trump administration’s review of fuel economy standards should be fully coordinated between the two agencies enforcing the regulations—and should focus on making the rules more consistent and cost-effective.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has said we don't have to choose between the environment and jobs. However, environmental protections will always have economic costs. For air quality rules that may be rescinded by EPA, the measured benefits dwarf the costs.

In a new podcast, RFF Fellow Benjamin Leard brings us up to speed on the current state of self-driving car technology and discusses his recent research into how much of a premium consumers are willing to pay for autonomous vehicles.